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The 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup was the 16th Rugby League World Cup, and one of three major tournaments of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament was held in England from 15 October 2022 to 19 November 2022.[1] It was originally due to be held between 23 October 2021 and 27 November 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent withdrawals of Australia and New Zealand caused the tournament to be postponed.[2] 16 teams competed in the tournament, an increase of two from the previous two tournaments and the first to feature 16 teams since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.[3]
2021 | Men's Rugby League World Cup|
---|---|
Number of teams | 16 |
Host country | England |
Winner | Australia (12th title) |
Runner-up | Samoa |
Matches played | 31 |
Attendance | 423,689 (13,667 per match) |
Points scored | 1721 (55.52 per match) |
Tries scored | 307 (9.9 per match) |
Top scorer | Stephen Crichton (73) |
Top try scorer | Josh Addo-Carr (12 tries) |
For the first time, the Rugby League World Cup was run alongside the women's and wheelchair tournaments with all participants being paid the same, while all 61 matches in the three tournaments were broadcast live.[4][5]
Australia beat Samoa 30–10 in the final to win the tournament for the third successive time, extending their record number of World Cup titles to twelve.[6]
The eight quarter-finalists of the previous tournament in 2017 earned automatic qualification to the 2021 tournament. As such, the allocations were confirmed as 6 teams from Europe (excluding hosts), 6 from Asia-Pacific, 1 from Middle East-Africa, 1 from the Americas, and 1 from an inter-regional play-off.[7] Qualification began on 16 June 2018, and concluded on 16 November 2019.
Team | Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Total times qualified |
Last time qualified |
Current consecutive appearances |
Previous best performance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
England | Hosts | 27 October 2016 | 7[lower-alpha 1] | 2017 | 7 | Runners-up (1975, 1995, 2017) |
Fiji | 2017 Group D winners | 10 November 2017 | 6 | 2017 | 6 | Semi-finals (2008, 2013, 2017) |
Tonga | 2017 Group B winners | 11 November 2017 | 6 | 2017 | 6 | Semi-finals (2017) |
New Zealand | 2017 Group B runners-up | 11 November 2017 | 16 | 2017 | 16 | Winners (2008) |
Samoa | 2017 Group B third place | 11 November 2017 | 6 | 2017 | 6 | Quarter-finals (2000, 2013, 2017) |
Australia | 2017 Group A winners | 11 November 2017 | 16 | 2017 | 16 | Winners (11 times) |
Lebanon | 2017 Group A third place | 11 November 2017 | 3 | 2017 | 2 | Quarter-finals (2017) |
Papua New Guinea | 2017 Group C winners | 12 November 2017 | 8 | 2017 | 8 | Quarter-finals (2000, 2017) |
France | Europe second round winners | 11 November 2018 | 16 | 2017 | 16 | Runners-up (1954, 1968) |
Wales | Europe second round runners-up | 11 November 2018 | 6[lower-alpha 1] | 2017 | 3 | Semi-finals (1995, 2000) |
Jamaica | Americas Championship winners | 17 November 2018 | 1 | – | 1 | – |
Ireland | Europe third round Group A winners | 9 November 2019 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | 2017 | 5 | Quarter-finals (2000, 2008) |
Italy | Europe third round Group A runners-up | 9 November 2019 | 3 | 2017 | 3 | Group stage (2013, 2017) |
Scotland | Europe third round Group B winners | 9 November 2019 | 5[lower-alpha 1] | 2017 | 5 | Quarter-finals (2013) |
Greece | Europe third round Group B runners-up | 9 November 2019 | 1 | – | 1 | – |
Cook Islands | Inter-regional repechage winners | 16 November 2019 | 3 | 2013 | 1 | Group stage (2000, 2013) |
The draw was originally scheduled to be finalised on 27 November 2019, exactly two years before the date of the tournament final, however, it was postponed until 16 January 2020.[8] The draw was made at Buckingham Palace on 16 January 2020 and was streamed live on Facebook. Teams from pot 1 were drawn by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, pot 2 by Katherine Grainger, and pot 3 by Jason Robinson.[9]
The draw resulted in the following teams being drawn into the following groups. Each group had to have at least one team from the Pacific region. As such, Lebanon were not eligible to be drawn into Group A from pot 1.[10]
From September 2022, teams announced wider squads of up to 38 players, which were reduced to 24 before the beginning of the tournament.[11]
Seventeen venues were used for the men's tournament.[12]
Manchester | London | Newcastle | Leeds | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Old Trafford | Emirates Stadium | St James' Park | Elland Road | ||||||||||||||||
Capacity: 74,994 | Capacity: 60,260 | Capacity: 52,405 | Capacity: 37,890 | ||||||||||||||||
Middlesbrough | Coventry | ||||||||||||||||||
Riverside Stadium | Coventry Building Society Arena | ||||||||||||||||||
Capacity: 34,742 | Capacity: 32,753 | ||||||||||||||||||
Sheffield | Bolton | ||||||||||||||||||
Bramall Lane | University of Bolton Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Capacity: 32,702 | Capacity: 28,723 | ||||||||||||||||||
Hull | Wigan | ||||||||||||||||||
MKM Stadium | DW Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Capacity: 25,400 | Capacity: 25,138 | ||||||||||||||||||
Huddersfield | Leeds | ||||||||||||||||||
Kirklees Stadium | Headingley Rugby Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Capacity: 24,121 | Capacity: 21,062 | ||||||||||||||||||
St Helens | Doncaster | Warrington | Leigh | Newcastle | |||||||||||||||
Totally Wicked Stadium | Eco-Power Stadium | Halliwell Jones Stadium | Leigh Sports Village | Kingston Park | |||||||||||||||
Capacity: 18,000 | Capacity: 15,231 | Capacity: 15,200 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 10,200 | |||||||||||||||
13 base camps were used by the 16 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament, as follow:[13]
The list of match officials who officiated across both the men's and women's tournaments was published on 5 October 2022.[14]
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Matches were played to the International Rugby League (IRL) rules. Certain differences between the way the rules of Australia and Europe were clarified in September 2022. All drop goals were worth one point and all play the ball infringements resulted in a set restart. Introduced from the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) was the "captain's challenge" where under certain circumstances a team captain was able to ask for the referee's decision to be reviewed. Head injury assessments and subsequent treatment followed the European model.[17]
A new match review panel comprising members from both the RFL and NRL was established for the tournament to deal with disciplinary issues.[17]
Pre-tournament practice matches took place on 7 and 8 October, the weekend before the first round of group stage matches of the World Cup.[18]
Bradford Bulls | 34–34 | Greece |
---|---|---|
Report |
Competing countries were divided into four groups of four teams (groups A to D). Teams in each group played one another in a round-robin, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage.[28]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | England (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 196 | 28 | +168 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 68 | +72 | 4 | |
3 | France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 116 | −60 | 2 | |
4 | Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 200 | −180 | 0 |
St James' Park, Newcastle Attendance: 43,199 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Jack Smith (England), Warren Turley (England) Player of the Match: Victor Radley (England) |
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster Attendance: 4,182 Referee: Adam Gee (Australia) Touch judges: Kasey Badger (Australia), James Vella (England) Player of the Match: Benjamin Garcia (France) |
University of Bolton Stadium, Bolton Attendance: 23,648 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Touch judges: Liam Moore (England), Todd Smith (Australia) Player of the Match: George Williams (England) |
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster Attendance: 4,415 Referee: James Child (England) Touch judges: Liam Rush (England), Robert Hicks (England) Player of the Match: Jarome Luai (Samoa) |
England | 94–4 | Greece |
---|---|---|
Tries: Lees 3' Young (4) 13', 25', 35', 37' Hall (2) 28', 59' Burgess (2) 33', 53' Williams 40' Makinson 43' Sneyd 49' Batchelor 63' Ackers (2) 67', 75' Pearce-Paul 73' McMeeken 77' Goals: Sneyd (13/17) 4', 27', 34', 36', 39', 40', 43', 50', 55', 60', 68', 76', 77' |
Report |
Tries: Taukamo 18' Goals: Ilias (0/1) |
Bramall Lane, Sheffield Attendance: 18,760 Referee: Belinda Sharpe (Australia) Touch judges: Marcus Griffiths (England), Wyatt Raymond (Australia) Player of the Match: Marc Sneyd (England) |
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington Attendance: 6,756 Referee: Todd Smith (Australia) Touch judges: Liam Rush (England), Warren Turley (England) |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 192 | 14 | +178 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Fiji | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 60 | +38 | 4 | |
3 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 130 | −92 | 2 | |
4 | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 142 | −124 | 0 |
Headingley Stadium, Leeds Attendance: 13,366 Referee: Chris Kendall (England) Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Darian Furner (Australia) Player of the Match: Cameron Munster (Australia) |
Kingston Park, Newcastle Attendance: 6,206 Referee: Todd Smith (Australia) Touch judges: Paki Parkinson (New Zealand), Marcus Griffiths (England) Player of the Match: Nathan Brown (Italy) |
Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry Attendance: 10,276 Referee: Grant Atkins (Australia) Touch judges: Kasey Badger (Australia), Warren Turley (England) Player of the Match: Josh Addo-Carr (Australia) |
Kingston Park, Newcastle Attendance: 3,675 Referee: Jack Smith (England) Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), James Vella (England) Player of the Match: Penioni Tagituimua (Fiji) |
Kingston Park, Newcastle Attendance: 6,736 Referee: Tom Grant (England) Touch judges: James Child (England), Chris Kendall (England) Player of the Match: Sunia Turuva (Fiji) |
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens Attendance: 5,586 Referee: Liam Moore (England) Touch judges: Michael Smaill (England), Jack Smith (England) Player of the Match: Jeremiah Nanai (Australia) |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 28 | +122 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Lebanon | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 60 | +58 | 4 | |
3 | Ireland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 82 | −10 | 2 | |
4 | Jamaica | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 190 | −170 | 0 |
Headingley Stadium, Leeds Attendance: 6,320 Referee: Ben Casty (France) Touch judges: Geoffrey Poumes (France), Neil Horton (England) Player of the Match: Luke Keary (Ireland) |
New Zealand | 34–12 | Lebanon |
---|---|---|
Tries: K. Bromwich 6' Asofa-Solomona 25' Hiku 30' Brown 55' Manu 57' Rapana 61' Goals: Rapana (5/6) 6', 25', 31', 55', 58' |
Report |
Tries: Mansour 1' Miski 46' Goals: Moses (2/2) 1', 47' |
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington Attendance: 5,453 Referee: Grant Atkins (Australia) Touch judges: Tom Grant (England), Dean Bowmer (England) Player of the Match: Joseph Manu (New Zealand) |
New Zealand | 68–6 | Jamaica |
---|---|---|
Tries: Watene-Zelezniak (4) 4', 14', 19', 59' Hiku 9' Niukore 29' Kris 37' Marshall-King (2) 40', 55' Nicoll-Klokstad 44' Nikora 53' Smith (2) 66', 72' Goals: Foran (6/10) 16', 31', 40', 61', 67', 73' Watene-Zelezniak (2/3) 45', 54' |
Report |
Tries: Jones-Bishop 76' Goals: Rush (1/1) 78' |
MKM Stadium, Hull Attendance: 6,829 Referee: Marcus Griffiths (England) Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), Aaron Moore (England) Player of the Match: Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (New Zealand) |
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh Attendance: 6,057 Referee: Adam Gee (Australia) Touch judges: Tom Grant (England), Warren Turley (Australia) Player of the Match: Mitchell Moses (Lebanon) |
New Zealand | 48–10 | Ireland |
---|---|---|
Tries: Hughes (2) 15', 60' Rapana (2) 20', 46' Hiku (2) 26', 33' Mulitalo 38' Fisher-Harris 55' K. Bromwich 63' Manu 79' Goals: Rapana (2/4) 17', 27' Brown (2/6) 61', 64' |
Report |
Tries: L. Senior (2) 29', 66' Goals: Chamberlain (1/3) 12' pen |
Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds Attendance: 14,044 Referee: Robert Hicks (England) Touch judges: James Vella (England), Darian Furner (Australia) Player of the Match: Jahrome Hughes (New Zealand) |
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh Attendance: 5,006 Referee: Paki Parkinson (New Zealand) Touch judges: Grant Atkins (Australia), Darian Furner (Australia) Player of the Match: Adam Doueihi (Lebanon) |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tonga | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 34 | +114 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
2 | Papua New Guinea | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 40 | +46 | 4 | |
3 | Cook Islands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 136 | −92 | 2 | |
4 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 86 | −68 | 0 |
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens Attendance: 10,409 Referee: Liam Moore (England) Touch judges: James Child (England), Belinda Sharpe (Australia) Player of the Match: Edwin Ipape (Papua New Guinea) |
Wales | 12–18 | Cook Islands |
---|---|---|
Tries: Lloyd 13' Olds 27' Goals: Fozard (2/2) 15', 29' |
Report |
Tries: Gelling 22' Moale 59' S. Marsters 64' Goals: S. Marsters (3/4) 24', 40' pen, 61' |
Leigh Sports Village, Leigh Attendance: 6,188 Referee: Robert Hicks (England) Touch judges: Rochelle Tamarua (New Zealand), Todd Smith (Australia) Player of the Match: Johnathon Ford (Cook Islands) |
Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens Attendance: 7,752 Referee: Kasey Badger (Australia) Touch judges: Mike Smaill (England), Rochelle Tamarua (New Zealand) Player of the Match: Daniel Tupou (Tonga) |
Papua New Guinea | 32–16 | Cook Islands |
---|---|---|
Tries: Tai (2) 14', 46' Laybutt 23' Martin 41' Lam 56' Olam 68' Goals: Martin (4/6) 24', 42', 57', 69' |
Report |
Tries: Ulberg 34' Gelling 60' Iro 77' Goals: S. Marsters (2/3) 3' pen, 35' Takairangi (0/1) |
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington Attendance: 6,273 Referee: Chris Kendall (England) Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Paki Parkinson (New Zealand) Player of the Match: Rhyse Martin (Papua New Guinea) |
Tonga | 92–10 | Cook Islands |
---|---|---|
Tries: Tupou (2) 1', 64' Taumalolo (2) 13', 20' Niu (3) 22', 29', 49' Penisini (4) 26', 32' (pen), 61', 74' Lolohea (2) 35', 58' Kaufusi 40' I. Katoa 44' Amone 78' Goals: I. Katoa (14/16) 15', 21', 24', 28', 31', 33', 37', 40', 46', 51', 62', 66', 76', 79' |
Report |
Tries: S. Marsters 69' Ti. Arona 80' Goals: S. Marsters (0/1) Ti. Arona (1/1) 80' |
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough Attendance: 8,342 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Kasey Badger (Australia), Aaron Moore (England) Player of the Match: Jason Taumalolo (Tonga) |
Eco-Power Stadium, Doncaster Attendance: 6,968 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), James Child (England) Player of the Match: Nixon Putt (Papua New Guinea) |
The top 2 teams from each pool advanced to the quarter-finals. All quarter-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2025 Rugby League World Cup.
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
5 November – Wigan | ||||||||||
England | 46 | |||||||||
12 November – London | ||||||||||
Papua New Guinea | 6 | |||||||||
England | 26 | |||||||||
6 November – Warrington | ||||||||||
Samoa (g.p.) | 27 | |||||||||
Tonga | 18 | |||||||||
19 November – Manchester | ||||||||||
Samoa | 20 | |||||||||
Samoa | 10 | |||||||||
4 November – Huddersfield | ||||||||||
Australia | 30 | |||||||||
Australia | 48 | |||||||||
11 November – Leeds | ||||||||||
Lebanon | 4 | |||||||||
Australia | 16 | |||||||||
5 November – Hull | ||||||||||
New Zealand | 14 | |||||||||
New Zealand | 24 | |||||||||
Fiji | 18 | |||||||||
John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 8,206 Referee: Chris Kendall (England) Touch judges: Wyatt Raymond (Australia), Warren Turley (England) Player of the Match: Josh Addo-Carr (Australia) |
DW Stadium, Wigan Attendance: 23,179 Referee: Liam Moore (England) Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), Jack Smith (England) Player of the Match: Tommy Makinson (England) |
MKM Stadium, Hull Attendance: 7,080 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Touch judges: Belinda Sharpe (Australia), Marcus Griffiths (England) Player of the Match: Joseph Manu (New Zealand) |
Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington Attendance: 12,674 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Robert Hicks (England), Kasey Badger (Australia) Player of the Match: Anthony Milford (Samoa) |
Elland Road, Leeds Attendance: 28,113 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Warren Turley (England), Wyatt Raymond (Australia) Player of the Match: Liam Martin (Australia) |
Emirates Stadium, London Attendance: 40,489 Referee: Gerard Sutton (Australia) Touch judges: Darian Furner (Australia), Jack Smith (England) Player of the Match: Jarome Luai (Samoa) |
Old Trafford, Manchester Attendance: 67,502 Referee: Ashley Klein (Australia) Touch judges: Jack Smith (England), Warren Turley (England) Player of the Match: James Tedesco (Australia) |
Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Final result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | B | Australia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 286 | 42 | +244 | 12 | Champions |
2 | A | Samoa | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 197 | 142 | +55 | 8 | Runners-up |
3 | A | England (H) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 268 | 61 | +207 | 8 | Eliminated in semi-finals |
4 | C | New Zealand | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 188 | 62 | +126 | 8 | |
5 | D | Tonga | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 166 | 54 | +112 | 6 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
6 | B | Fiji | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 116 | 84 | +32 | 4 | |
7 | D | Papua New Guinea | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 86 | +6 | 4 | |
8 | C | Lebanon | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 122 | 108 | +14 | 4 | |
9 | C | Ireland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 72 | 82 | −10 | 2 | Eliminated in group stage |
10 | A | France | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 116 | −60 | 2 | |
11 | D | Cook Islands | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 136 | −92 | 2 | |
12 | B | Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 130 | −92 | 2 | |
13 | D | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 86 | −68 | 0 | |
14 | B | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 142 | −124 | 0 | |
15 | C | Jamaica | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 190 | −170 | 0 | |
16 | A | Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 200 | −180 | 0 |
Rank | Player | Team | Tries |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Josh Addo-Carr | Australia | 12 |
2 | Dom Young | England | 9 |
3 | Tommy Makinson | England | 7 |
4 | Louis Senior | Ireland | 6 |
Josh Mansour | Lebanon | ||
Daniel Tupou | Tonga | ||
7 | Campbell Graham | Australia | 5 |
Tim Lafai | Samoa | ||
Will Penisini | Tonga | ||
10 | Elliott Whitehead | England | 4 |
Ryan Hall | |||
Jake Maizen | Italy | ||
Abbas Miski | Lebanon | ||
Peta Hiku | New Zealand | ||
Dallin Watene-Zelezniak | |||
Taylan May | Samoa | ||
Tesi Niu | Tonga |
Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Stephen Crichton | Samoa | 28 |
2 | Nathan Cleary | Australia | 26 |
3 | Isaiya Katoa | Tonga | 21 |
4 | Marc Sneyd | England | 20 |
Tommy Makinson | |||
6 | Brandon Wakeham | Fiji | 15 |
Mitchell Moses | Lebanon | ||
8 | Jordan Rapana | New Zealand | 14 |
9 | Arthur Mourgue | France | 10 |
10 | Valentine Holmes | Australia | 7 |
Rank | Player | Team | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Stephen Crichton | Samoa | 73 |
2= | Nathan Cleary | Australia | 68 |
Tommy Makinson | England | ||
4 | Isaiya Katoa | Tonga | 50 |
5 | Josh Addo-Carr | Australia | 48 |
6 | Jordan Rapana | New Zealand | 40 |
7 | Dom Young | England | 36 |
Rhyse Martin | Papua New Guinea | ||
9 | Mitchell Moses | Lebanon | 30 |
10 | Arthur Mourgue | France | 28 |
Yellow cards |
Red cards
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